Philadelphia Flyers European Prospect Update

By Bill Meltzer

January 23rd, 2003

Here’s a rundown of the recent play of Flyers-affiliated players in European leagues.

Finland

Joni Pitkänen : Pitkänen, after winning a bronze medal and being named the top defenseman at the World Junior Championships has returned to his 3rd place Oulu club with some extra confidence. Reports on his recent games have been encouraging, especially his defensive play (although he’s still -3 for the season). Overall, he has 4 goals, 18 points and 38 PIM in 34 games.

Jussi Timonen : After a good start at the WJC, Timonen struggled a bit. However, he’s now seeing more regular ice time for his SM-Liiga club team, TPS Turku. Typically a league powerhouse, TPS is suffering through their worst season in many years, falling to 10th place. Overall Timonen has 1 point (a goal), 6 PIM, and a -4 rating.

Marko Kauppinen : Kauppinen was counted on to be a key contributor to TPS’ blueline this year but, like the rest of the club, has been disappointing over the last two-plus months. Overall, he has 3 goals, 11 points, 48 PIM and a -9 rating.

David Printz: Is it better to sit out on a winning team or play regularly for a bad one? Printz only saw spot duty for first place HPK (17 GP, 1 G, 1PT, 10 PIM, -1) before being traded to an Ilves club that is mired at the bottom of the standings. The good news for Printz is that he now gets a lot more ice time. In 9 games since the trade, he has 1 goal, 2 points and 8 PIMs. He’s a -4 with Ilves but it would hard not to be minus-rated on that club.

Czech Republic

Roman Malek: What else can be said about the phenomenol season Malek is having? Far and away the best goalie in the Czech Extraliga and arguably the most valuable player in the league, Malek is a workhorse for 2nd place Slavia Prague. In 39 games, he has 25 wins, a miniscule 1.41 goals against average, a staggering .955 save percentage and a league record 11 shutouts. A model of consistency this year, he has yet to put together back-to-back subpar starts. Malek is a shoo-in to be named the Czech World Championship team.

Pavel Kasparik : Kasparik has benefitted from his change of scenery. Although he went from a 3rd place Sparta team to 12th place Liberac, Kasparik needed a fresh start after struggling so badly for the Prague club at the start of the season. In 19 games since the deal, he has 4 goals, 10 points and a -2 rating (Kasparik had just 4 assists, 4 PIM and a -3 rating to show for his 21 games with Sparta).

Milan Kopecky : A teammate of Malek, Kopecky has primarily played on Slavia’s 4th line but has earned increased ice time since the start of the season. Overall, he has 2 goals, 6 points, 12 PIM, and a +4 rating.

Russia

Alexander Drozdetsky: The winger snapped his 26 game goal scoring drought on Monday, tallying the lone CSKA goal in a 5-1 loss to Lada Togliatti. Drozdetsky now has 8 goals and 17 points in 35 games this season for the 13th place club.

Konstantin Baranov: Baranov, playing for his 3rd team this season, is now a teammate of Drozdetsky. In 7 games with CSKA, he has one goal (a game winner) and an assist. Overall, he has 3 goals and 7 points in 24 matches.

Konstantin Rudenko: The oft-injured Rudenko is once again out of the lineup for first place Lokomotiv. He has 3 goals, 6 points, and 20 PIM in 19 games played.

Andrei Razin: The veteran playmaking center has missed seven games with a hand injury but still ranks 3rd in the RSL with 30 points (24 assists) for 6th place Dinamo.

Sweden

David Nyström : Nyström’s Halmstad club struggled in Allsvenskan South during the fall and is stuck in last place in the spring round. He is pointless with a +1 rating in 5 games in this round; he had 21 points (12 goals), 18 PIM, and a -4 rating in 25 games during the fall round.